754, 939, AM2, AM2+, AM3: Sorting AMD's Sockets

How To Confuse Your Customers & Kill Your Stock Price

Way back in the prehistoric era, AMD aficionados were absolutely giddy about the new and exciting cutting-edge capabilities that the new Socket 754 would give over the dated Socket A, also known as Socket 462. With 292 more pins to allow for a wide variety of new features, it was true that AMD's Golden Age was in full bloom, and that the new Athlon XP series of processors would establish AMD once and for all as the reigning king of CPUs.

To those who are still wondering what a socket is, it's the place on the motherboard where the CPU, or brains, of the computer plugs in. The back of the CPU has lots of little pins each fitting in its own tiny socket. Generally, (but hardly always) the more pins the CPU/socket has, the more capable the processing performance is.

Socket 754 did live up to all the hype. With HyperTransport connecting the CPU and the north bridge, a 16 bit (two byte) DDR (double data rate) bus, and its allowance for a bandwidth of 1.6 GB/s, it seemed like AMD had left Intel in the dust once again.

No sooner had AMD fans everywhere adopted the 754 platform as their very own, and were envied with reason by many Intel side 775 socket owners, AMD decided to jump sockets again, this time to Socket 939. The extra 185 pins allowed for a cornucopia of engineering wonders including allowance for DDR SDRAM memory with 6.4 GB/s memory bandwidth; 3DNow!, SSE2, and SSE3 instruction set support and a single HyperTransport link of 16 bit capable of 2000 MT/s. 939 allowed for CPUs to benefit from 64KB Level 1 caches, and either 512KB or 1 MB Level 2 caches.

So strong was the "cache"-t of the 939 platform that some 754 motherboards were equipped with a slot for a 939 daughterboard for easy upgrading. To say that AMD had a winner in 939 was an understatement. Intel, a company at least ten times larger than AMD, was on the ropes with its plunky Pentium 4 series featuring the atrocious engineering hash called Prescott, a CPU that ran hotter than a steel smelter and sucked electricity faster than a warehouse full of hairdryers. (I could have said that it sucked more than a warehouse full of Hoovers, but this is a family Hub.) :)

We've all seen the Rocky movies when our hero is on the ropes, bloodied, beaten, hallucinating about his homely Coppola-related wife and then manages the strength for a punch that lays out his fiercer, younger, monstrous opponent out like a wet rug being thrown out of a flooded house. That's pretty well what Intel did. After doubling up their reprehensible CPUs to premiere the Pentium D series which set new lows for abominable, odious, contemptible and generally all-round vile heat, power consumption and general deficiency on their Socket 775 platform, Big Blue landed a punch named Conroe on AMD's jaw and the Green Machine never really recovered.

Conroe was the code name for Core 2 Duo (amazing chip, idiotic name) which was the first dual core processor to break all the rules and achieve performance far above those of mortal Athlons. Overnight, AMD's dual cores were relegated to the bargain basement bin, many fetching less than $100 which was a price cut of over $600 for some models. It was like driving out of your local Honda dealer with a brand new Civic you just paid $3,000 for.

AMD could not compete on speed. They could not compete on performance. They could only compete by slashing prices. Their top end dual core was getting eaten alive by a mid range Core 2 Duo, and then to rub salt in the wounds, Intel introduced the quad core models to bring close to supercomputing performance to the desktop.

AMD had to fight back, but how? They introduced the AM2 socket. The AM2 socket had... er... one... extra pin and was essentially a rehash of their server side Socket 940. The hype surrounding AM2 was that it would speed up CPU operations so much that Intel would have to grab its Core 2s and run back to the cave where it dwelled for most of this decade.

When the first AM2 systems landed in the hands of independent testers the truth came out. AnandTech measured the performance advantage over an otherwise identical 939 at a whopping 2%. Wet rug, outdoor of flooded house. Thud.

Even some of the rabid AMD fanbois by now were ready to either go Blue or jump off the nearest skyscraper. AMD realized that they had to do something, so they immediately launched AM2+. What does AM2+ do? Well, it has HyperTransport 3.0! And a nice plus sign after the name!

AM2+ was shunned like an outbreak of bird flu in Indonesia. Few people could actually see what the heck the difference was with AM2, and they were right. By this time the PR nightmare had reached such levels that AMD had to pull out all the stops and announce... Socket AM3! To the chorus of groans from the gathered multitude, this third socket in nine months was to use DDR3 RAM, which is was plagued by latency and other issues, and generally isn't worth the extra cost.

Let's please not even bring up Socket F which is a 1207 pin design used only in the dual socket Quad FX platform that even the most fanatic AMD evangelists refused to buy.

What was next for AMD? Many observers doubted that they will be able to survive long in their state. They turned the acquisition of Canadian video card manufacturer ATI into a conflagration, their stock was devalued over 70%, and they missed deadline after deadline in attempting to release their long-awaited Barcelona/Agena/Kuma series of alleged Core 2 Duo-killers.

AMD is a prime example of the marathon runner who arrives within a few hundred yards of the finish line leading by two minutes and decides to go off and have a rest and an ice cold lemonade. The extent to which AMD dropped the ball and confused and alienated the most smitten AMD fan may have few equals in American corporate history.

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AUTHOR

Hal Licino

9 years agofrom Toronto

What difference does it make if a CPU has a zillion cores? Benchmark the 1090T vs. the 980X. If you think that the GHz means anything in this comparo IT DOES NOT. Architecture is going to provide i7 with power the Phenom can only dream of. Sure the Intel is overpriced, but it's in a completely different league than that dated piece of slag AMD's hawking.

High end intels are stronger sure... we all agree, is the price worth it? No IMHO

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

9 years agofrom Toronto

Thanks for your comment. AMD has considerably gotten its "stuff" together since this Hub was posted almost 3 years ago, but they're still alsorans to the Intels. They still have nothing to compare with the Core i7 or even the Core i5 series!

RoseGardenAdvice

9 years agofrom San Francisco

You really have raised a hornet's nest here! With the Intel and AMD fans battling it out. I personally am an AMD fan starting from Athlon right up to now. You may be right, you may be wrong in your assumptions. But as far as my experience with AMD goes, it's faultless, fast, and cheap. So, I remain a trueblue AMD fan! But thanks for the hub - to each his own :)

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

9 years agofrom Toronto

Jimmy, Big Blue is IBM, and the Blue Team is Intel. Pull the other one, it's got bells. Price performance parity? In what universe? You got to lay off the drugs, dude.

Phil: You may be even stupider than Jimmy, although it could be a tossup. :)

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

9 years agofrom Toronto

For almost a decade, every single CPU (of many) I owned was AMD. I could not say enough good about the brand. Then Criminal Insider Trading Scum Ruiz took over and that was the end of it. AMD is a waste case. It would have died years ago if Intel had ANY other competitor.

kf

9 years ago

Hal, you are one of the most arrogant and narrow guyz I've seen in a long time. You excessively amplify the points you make & ignore those you don't like. Many are valid, but it not the entire picture. OK, everyone is entitled to preferences, but you should at least be honest enough to admit that you're blindly prejudiced. The fact remains that Intel would never have gotten half as far without AMD pushing them. Intel's attitude is as arrogant as yours. I cannot reward that. Nevertheless I am bitterly disappointed that AMD in desperation allowed themselves to become controlled by offshore (middle eastern) interests. So I will use what works for me and which I can afford. (Who REALLY needs a quad core, anyway?!!!)

(Uh, "Big Blue"??? Who was smoking what, dude?)

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

AMD folding would be a disaster for all computer users. Even Intel doesn't want that as they'd be under the antitrust gun. That doesn't mean that AMD management hasn't been a ship of fools for years, though! They are morons, and if we look at Ruiz, morons verging on the criminal!

jonnypwtf

10 years ago

So what happens if AMD folds? Intel will jack-up their prices since there is no competition. How is this good for the consumer?

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Ice, you're a paranoid nutcase. Does ANYTHING you say have even the slightest evidence to back it up? :)

Iceonfire

10 years ago

Intel is a pathetic company who bullies manufacturers into selling their product intel are so frightened they have to bully suppliers into not selling prebuilt systems based on AMD CPUs. Obviously Intel haven't heard that AMD are close to folding, maybe you had better tell them to relax because according to you nobody wants AMD. I know you're obviously the bile filled capitalist who shouts loudest in this excuse for a debate but i'm afraid your tabloid trash talk wont wash

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

You're out of your mind... I think you need to apply more ice to your fire, dude. :)

The statements you've made are completely unsubstantiated. OC my big fat butt... i7 at factory clock EATS any AMD made. Period. And there have been many OC successes with i7 at ridiculously high clocks.

Ah... just another Green Team Blind Fanboi... :)

Iceonfire

10 years ago

I have been in the business of computer repair and overclocking for a good many years and have been on the fence about CPUs for most of that time. However, recently i have been increasingly more enticed by AMD. Not only are they so much more cheaper but PhenomII black editions are so much better for overclocking than the far more expensive than the i7. With the stock heatsink on an AM3 mobo i am currently running a phenom II 965 black edition and i am stably running it at 3.9GHZ whereas i've seen i7s literally melt after a

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Not biased at all. AMD sucks more than a Hoover warehouse and it has since about two minutes after Ruiz took over. That's not bias, it's fact. :)

| Fusion |

10 years ago

you are somewhat biased Hal :D :P

thanks for this hub :)

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Sure, but exactly what competition is AMD providing? Their market share at 18% includes all their Opterons. If you take out their server market, their conventional desktop CPU share is infinitesimal. If there has to be a competitor it should be able to compete, not just show up for the race!

Johnny Consumer

10 years ago

Competition is good for us customers. Don't get me wrong, I ultimately don't care what's under the hood just so long as it works (and I can afford it). My point is, the mere fact that there IS a competitor to Intel, such as it is, helps drive down prices enough to the point where those of us struggling to make FOUR figure incomes can afford procs from either camp.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Nope, you missed some important stuff: It failed because both Ruination Ruiz and Dirk Diggler are morons and everything that AMD has done in the last several years is sheer idiocy.

Mark

10 years ago

A bit too dramatic. And you missed some important stuff. Socket AM2+ didn't fail because people didn't know what it was supposed to offer over AM2. It was supposed to be transparent to the average consumer. It failed because its "mission" of maintaining backwards compatibility with AM2 (while introducing a faster bus for those buying new rigs) was a total screw up. Only a handful of motherboards based off AM2 could accept AM2+ chips. Ending the upgrade path that might have kept enthusiasts buying AMD. Add to that that intial Phenoms were broken and that Intel had faster chips, the enthusiastes that would "care" about AM2, AM2+, and upgrade paths had every reason to jump ship.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Disagree with i7 920, 940, etc. being workstation. That's what the Xeon versions are. I do agree that AMD will not rise from the dead ever. They're just gonna zombie their way for a while longer then fold.

Q_Q

10 years ago

i7 isn't for prosumer/enthusiast. It's for workstation quality processing. That's partially why Intel is messing around with its naming system, i3, i5, i7. i7 could, COULD (not will be, COULD) turn into a prohibitively high priced processor that won't be in the range for normal enthusiasts. i5 is a fine processor. Infact the i5's coming soon will be around the i7 920 range today when it comes out

And the fanboy comments are all logical. AMD's switching of sockets was smoother than some switches Intel has pulled off in the past. (Long time ago, though)

"i5 is not a competitor to i7" &lt;&lt; Well I hope not. Generally, products don't compete against products from their own company. The company makes all the profit anyways. XD

And not everyone's gonna shell out 300 bucks for an i7, when they could get day-to-day usage (which is what everyone's going for these days apparently with this netbook craze.. I couldn't live with an Atom, ha) with a lower level processor.

That being said, I don't see AMD rising from the dead in the near(or far) future.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

I am typing this on a Core i7 LGA 1366 and so what? i5 is not a competitor to i7 in any way as it's intended a midrange system while the i7 is prosumer/enthusiast. And the i5 mobo is more affordable story is a crock. You can get a perfectly serviceable LGA 1366 mobo at well under $150. Do you really expect to be able to buy a far inferior and less capable LGA 1156 mobo for much less than that? And DDR3 prices have dropped down to very close to DDR2 levels. You're another one that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, dude!

Freakinacage

10 years ago

Did anyone bother to look at Intel&rsquo;s plans for the LGA1366 socket for the Core i7, it only has a few more planed Core i7 processors coming out (one of which is a six core chip which may not work on current boards), then it will move over to be the basis for the Xeon sever base. Intel has used it as a testing ground at the customer&rsquo;s expense, and like always will leave their loyal customer out in the cold. There is yet another platform on its way called i5 and it will become the &ldquo;main stream consumer part&rdquo; (there words not mine) totally new socket without the QPI (QuickPath Interconnect) so that the motherboards become more affordable, they are also dropping the tri-channel DDR3 back to duel channel.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Try to wake up and smell the coffee, bozo. :)

dave

10 years ago

try to be more objective and less fanboyish

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Yes, I'm aware that AMD does well on the subcontinent, but that is primarily due to pricing issues there. In North America and Europe, even the fastest AMD CPUs are priced comparably to Intel's lower and middle range Quads, for instance. However, there is nothing in the AMD lineup at any price to compare with the higher end Core 2s such as the Q9650, and of course, there is no chance to touch the Core i7s. Keep in mind that the Q9650, Q9550, etc. are all LGA 775 sockets and use DDR2 RAM, and they'll still clean the clock of any Phenom II.

Navi

10 years ago

Actually in INDIA Amd is selling like hot cakes &amp; Intel sales dominate only in high End market.

The reason people buy AMD is cause they are getting best performance/price ratio.

they don't have to upgrade their motherboard.

Don't have to buy new DDR3 Ram

And still get great performance== As amd chip also never goes to 100% usage.

And games are GPU based(Most of them). So why waste money on all the useless upgrade when u can buy a cheap CPU with enuph power

And then buy great graphic card with that saved money.

I don't know abt. u guys but in INDIA that's how things are. i know this cause my friend is biggest dealer in comp parts in my state.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

Yeah, for the AMD user this processor race will end because AMD can't keep up. It hasn't been able to keep up for almost three years now. It's a complete mystery to me why anyone would still buy an AMD processor, but maybe some fanbois out there are still in the K7 state of mind. (Sorry... I have a VERY low opinion of current AMD management... ) :)

Jid

10 years ago

Well whatever the outcome, sure is nice for us consumers...well for an AMD user and as an avid gamer...this race of processor shall soon slow down...these babies are actually to fast for most current software and/or OS to catch up with unless otherwise Windows shifts to 128bit computing. Video cards are now most likely to take center stage since its more of graphic power now that most enthusiast are looking into...in short most of us will be happy with a 3ghz 4-core processor, well in most gamers perspective that is =D

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

That's not necessarily the case, as AMD does have some processors which operate within a relatively low power envelope as does Intel.

creativeMind

10 years agofrom Cochin

AMD cant beat Intel..AMD is a power hungry processor..

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

You're very welcome! :)

Jawad UK

10 years ago

Thanks for sharing such a usefull information. I am really greatful to you.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

I tend to agree with most of what you've stated, but keep in mind that the i7 heat and RAM voltage situation will not manifest itself under use by the average computer user who doesn't OC their rig to the extremes. And all CPUs have errata, but most, like the i7 are effectively insignificant. The original Phenom's was outrageous. I see AMD laying an egg with their current roadmap. Deneb does not stack up to i7 and by the time they even come close, we'll be looking at 32nm parts from Intel.

billy

10 years ago

phenom 2 is releaseing next month(actualy on schedual). Its compareable to intels 9xxx series. Overclocking potential is said to average around 4ghz on air.

the I7 from intel has heat issues as well as ram voltage limitations. They also require a newboard and possibly new ram. They do have a TLB error also.

Intel is a wee bit meaner than the small amd. Yes I am an AMD fanboi, BUT - i do understand that intel is stepping all over us.

The current phenoms with b2 steppings are processors without the ability to overclock well,the b3 stepping overclock much better and allow higher stock clocks. The Phenom 9850 2nd best for amd's desktop platform. it hits clocks of 3.2-3.4 all day long, its on par with intels lowest q6600, but the phenom cost bout $35 less on newegg.

The phenom 2 can be backward compatible all the way down to a am2 socket if the board will support it. The Asus m2r32-mvp was 1 of ATIs last chipsets before being aquired by amd, and it supports the current phenoms and i bet it will support the phenom 2(owned and test board then bought a better board).

775 LGA - very well designed socket, i wish amd would adopt it. Has a very very large line of processors for the socket... If it would support them. Many 680i chipsets from nvidia will not support any of intels 45nm stuff, causing the need of a new motherboard. &lt;- only thing i don't like - Intel chipsets usualy support for all of them.

Pricing: Amd has 3 Dual-core processors under the price of intels cheapest - a 1.8ghz celeron.

amds shanghai is toying with intels xeons currently. 75watts of power consumption and more performance compared to intels 130watt+

Who knows where the server market is headed(shanghai is released at 45nm)

Competative Dual cores: athlon x2 7750 $75 Core 2 Due E7400 - $140

Quad Core: 9850 - $148 Core 2 quad Q6600 - $185

Cheapest: Single cores:Sempron 3400+ $20 Celeron 430 - $40

Dual:Athlon x2 BE-2300 $35 Celeron e1200 $50

Triple:Phenom 8450 $88 &lt;-amd-&gt; 8750 $117

Quad:Phenom 9600 $120 core 2 quad q6600 $185

There is alot more I'd like to put down here but I'm running out of time. So I'll sum it up.

Amd - has a kick ass product around the corner

Intel has kicked ass and still is

Amd-cheap for same performance

intel-has more power than amd can compete with

amd-kicks ass in the low-mid range

intel-high end all the way.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

10 years agofrom Toronto

You guys are on drugs. Phenom is the worst joke since the Ford Edsel. It is not competitive with anything even remotely comparable from Intel on any price/performance curve you can throw at it. A $300 Core i7, anyone? The only way AMD can compete is if it prices its entire Phenom range under $100. Anyone buying one at the current prices couldn't buy a clue even if it was marked down at a garage sale. One thing is being an AMD fanboi, but it's a whole 'nother matter to be legally insane.

MrValue

10 years ago

Well, i'm not a fanboy or anything but i just bought a 9850 phenom and i have yet to reach 100% usage when not running a cpu test program, i want the most for my money... what's the point of spending more for something thats about as fast? In the real word it's all about the cost, maybe the mercedes slr is faster than my toyota camry but it wont actually get me there faster lol but atleast i would get to show off in the mercedes. my point is that while intel has the crown for teh fastest cpu right now there's little need for anything that fast and with my AM2+ motherboard ill upgrade the cpu to a AM3 when i actually do need the speed. Only a real nerd would buy an intel so that he can try and pick up girls by bragging about things they dont care about lol

Anon

11 years ago

This article missed the point. The main reason for the existence of sockets AM2, AM2+, and AM3 is not to offer some radically new interface to a processor - quite the opposite, in fact; AMD designed them so people can gradually transition to newer processors without needing to replace the motherboard each time they add something new.

It's a pretty smart move, actually, but if you ignore the main reason for the two extra sockets, of course you'll make AMD look silly. Though to those who know more of the details, it's really the article that ends up looking stupid - hence the &quot;Intel fanboy&quot; accusations...

As for Intel vs. AMD, it's interesting to note that, with Intel holding the performance crown, AMD's fastest parts are significantly cheaper than the Intel equivalents. In the days when high-end Athlons ruled most benchmarks, Intel chips still managed to be the most expensive.

That was not the only source. Intel support I've read, and heard, was terrible on their CPU error. Some motherboard vendors were slow to patch their AM2 mobos', where most AM2+ boards include the fix with other enhancements. Bill Gates may or may not be to blame, point is Intel had similar problem as AMD, but Intel tried to keep it quite and play it off as though they didn't trip down the stairs, then pointed a finger to divert attention.

Forgot to mention that the P4 notebook I have is best suited as a portable 30-minute space heater (on battery power with power saving features engaged on teh dimmed 17&quot; LCD), even though it has a massive heatpipe/finned heatsink and 3-fan cooling solution...Sager knew what they were dealing with to a good degree (no pun intended). I bought it at the time thinking the raw megahertz in the P4 were better than the lower clocked but more effcient AMD. Intel won that propaganda battle.

IonEngine

11 years ago

Jongski38;

Pentium II!!!???? Still living in grandma's basement?

You could probably turn on your computer, make a round trip to Japan, and it would still be loading whatever OS still supporting that family. Someone asked me what I'm smoking...

Intel fanboys, put down the crack and come out of the Nazi bunkers you've been holed up in...It's like you're in the movie &quot;The Island&quot; where &quot;Intel inside&quot; tells everyone what to beleive. I'm over with fanboiz blabber...My first 4 computers were Intel, 1 Desktop (I built, still running at a friends after 6 years), and 3 laptops, the latest I got in 2004- has a desktop P4 3.0GHZ, yes, NOT the mobile, and it is still terribly slow on older games and DVDShrink, with 2GB DDR RAM in dual-channel, two 7,200 RMP drives in RAID 0, and a 256MB Radeon9700. I bought the Intel BS but never realized it until I leaped over to AMD.

Sure Intel is on schedule with what Intel wants to produce, but they could do much better but they aren't. And I'm still waiting for a Phenom 9700 or 9900, but I know a 9600 on a decent mobo with decent graphics can easily keep up, even beat in some cases, competetive Intel CPU's for much less cost. And kiddie's... Dinosuars, a few articles, or PRe-t3enAg3r-posted reefveIws, or your commision motivated sales/tech person- are not good sources of information.

Yes Intel has been winning rounds again, but it is the over confident fools who overlook their opponents' stregnths.

jongski38

11 years ago

Yo man! That was quite a review of the AMD family of processors. Anyway my computer still runs on an Intel Pentium II processor at 350 Mhz speed. Is it any better then to migrate to an AMD processor? Keep on the good work!

sinister

11 years ago

Whoever wrote this artice is on intel's payroll, made no sense at all. AM2 Has been out for quite some time now and AM2+ is very new, they prob can't handle the fact that an AMD phenom 2.2GHz Will beat an intel core 2 quad 2.4 Ghz Q6600 anyday. and it's $80 less

Luxor Ferrecia

11 years ago

Market war is ridiculous and this article shows obvious bias.

The Intel quadcores from what I've researched are more like to of their dualcore CPUs jammed into the same chip than a fully functioning quadcore, and released before AMD's phenom just to soak up some extra sales. This would leave the intelligent person to believe that they are still wary of what AMD could produce.

That is all from me, good day.

Scalari Anitoba

11 years ago

k, Intel may be winning the fight now. But they area a SLIMEBALL of a company an AMD has always held the moral high ground. Their most recent fiasco? Red about their ealings with he One Laptop per child program. Joined the board and hen used the oprotunity to try to push thier more expensive product by demoing there's NEXT to the OLPC program models &lt;150$ more expensive i might add&gt; Intel has no soul, and AMD knows who they serve. Long live the good Fight! in all the good stories the bad guys always have greater numbers and better weapons. But their own evil and extreem greed is always their undoing, as so i will be with intel.

AUTHOR

Hal Licino

11 years agofrom Toronto

Please send me a few ounces of whatever you're smokin'. Phenoms not doing bad? TLB errata, all Barcy specs revoked, no deliveries, no 2.4GHz part, and they're not doing bad? Fixed WHAT bug in real world tests? There is NO TLB errata-free part anywhere. No, you're not just smokin'... I think it's more serious than that. :)

IonEngine

11 years ago

&quot;...a prime example of the marathon runner who arrives within a few hundred yards of the finish line leading by two minutes and decides to go off and have a rest and an ice cold lemonade.&quot;

You mean like what Intel did during the late 90's/early 00's which gave very little itty bitty AMD, a chance to gradually build a superior line of products? Yes Intel has been laying a smackdown, winning matches even. Giant Intel is now scared to death of pint-sized AMD, that got the adrenalin flowing. Now the big fight rematch is approaching, I'm betting the nimble AMD will make a remarkable recovery.

Also, Intel has been and still is as bad with socket changes, and horribly obsessed with chipset changes. MANY past and current Intel CPU relaeases required/s a new chipset on a &quot;new&quot; motherboard. AMD has to change the sockets to meet the performance and capabilities of the new generations of AMD CPU's. I'm not too happy about the rapid changes, but time changes things, and so does competition. AMD was smart and agile enough to ramp things up at least, Intel had the funds to sit around and do nothing so they did. Intel is now, releasing 3Ghz Core 2s instead of the 3.4Ghz they used for introductions/promotions. Slivery tactics Intel used in hopes of regaining performance recognition. Intel has learned from AMD though and has made some good improvements, I am tempted but will wait and see until after my tax refund. Loads of next-gen hardware will be out early-mid 2008, the best of today will be at bargain prices then, and the better man will stand out more.

Don't ignore Nightshade, Check your facts, not fanboy forums. It is December now, and Phenoms ar not doing bad at all. AMD actually fixed the bugs in the real-world tests. Intel is relcutant to even offer a band-aid to a common problem found in the Core 2s.

E

11 years ago

Which division of Intel do you currently work for?

exinco

11 years agofrom Malaysia

the hotter the competition the better product we get

Nightshade

11 years ago

Really, come on! AMD is not yet even close to being finished! Check you facts, am2+ was just introduced like 2 weeks ago and the 5000+ will tie or bet most mid level Core 2's up to the E6550. Then you take the 6000+ and it's right there with top level Intel's. AMD may not be the fastest anymore, but there price to preformance is way above Intel's.

J

11 years ago

AM2+ has only just been released and is backwards compatible with AM2, and AM3 is still quite far off.

I guess you must be some Intel fanboy.

Misha

11 years agofrom DC Area

Nice review Hal. I did not watch the CPU market for quite some time, so I actually learned these news from your hub :)

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